Social Media Policy

Devon County Council is committed to making the best use of all available technology and innovation to improve the way we do business. This includes using all reasonable and cost-effective means to improve the way we communicate, reach out and interact with the different communities we serve.

‘Social media‘ is the term commonly given to web-based tools which allow users to interact with each other in some way – by sharing information, opinions, knowledge and interests online. As the name implies, social media involves the building of online communities or networks to encourage participation and engagement.

This includes blogs, message boards, social networking websites (such as facebook, twitter, bebo, MySpace), content sharing websites (such as flickr, YouTube) and many other similar online channels.

These platforms open up many new and exciting opportunities. However, the practical application of such technology by councils is in its infancy and there are many potential issues to consider – both as individual employees and as an organisation.

To avoid major mistakes and turning a well meant social media experiment into a reputational disaster it is important that we manage any potential risks through a common-sense approach and framework as well as proactively monitoring the development of such applications.

These guidelines aim to provide managers and individual employees with information to consider before participating in or developing any new social media application and to help them get the best out of the tools available whilst maintaining a safe professional environment and protecting themselves as well as the organisation.